Trego Community junior Clayton Riedl’s triple-double was overshadowed by an 0-2 week for the Golden Eagles. The Ellis girls picked up another key Class 2A win Tuesday against Oakley.
Phillipsburg
The Panthers took some time off before beating Obsorne 65-41 on Friday. Despite a perfect 15-0 record, Phillipsburg fell to No. 6 in the stacked Class 3A rankings. Friday, the Panthers used a 26-9 second quarter to pull away from the Bulldogs 40-20 by halftime. Senior Sean Newlan went 7-of-9 from the floor to lead the way with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Grant Wickham added 10 points, and Seth Derr dished out seven assists while scoring four points. Dylan Means scored eight points.
The Lady Panthers fell to 6-10 overall with a 45-32 loss to No. 7 Osborne. Phillipsburg trailed 25-17 by the half and 32-22 after three quarters of play. Mattison Dusin scored 22 of the 32 Lady Panther points.
Smith Center
Despite suffering some injuries on Friday, including some hamstring tightness in leading scorer Sydney Benoit, the Lady Red cruised to a 63-46 win at Hill City. Tuesday, the girls picked up a big league win by defeating No. 7 Osborne 73-45. Smith Center jumped all the way to No. 2 in the Class 2A ranks, and sits unbeaten in the MCL with a 16-1 overall record. Tuesday, the girls dominated the first quarter to take a 29-9 lead against the Bulldogs. Benoit was still healthy in that game to lead the team with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. She scored eight first quarter points in the Hill City win. Alexis Ryan finished with 14 points and six steals against Osborne, Briana Dietz scored 11 points, and Trenna Cox finished with nine points and eight rebounds.
The Redmen boys are 8-9 overall following a 58-55 win against Osborne on Tuesday and a 66-57 loss to Hill City on Friday. In Tuesday’s win, the squad outscored Osborne 27-18 in the first and third quarters combined, then put up 18 points in the final frame to hold on for the win. Zach Linn put in 19 points for the Redmen, and Payton Buckmaster finished right behind him with 18 points.
Plainville
The Cardinal boys have lost to Phillipsburg twice this season. Neither time counted in league standings, so Plainville still sits at 7-0 in the MCL. Tuesday night, the Cards stepped out of league in a 62-43 loss to No. 9 Hoxie (Div. I). Plainville trailed 34-20 by halftime, and the Indians used a 19-10 fourth quarter to finish off the Cards. Junior Hadley Gillium was held to 15 points and six rebounds. Nolan Weiser also finished with 15 points and six boards. The Cards will play Phillipsburg on Feb. 21.
The Lady Cardinals fell to 9-8 with a 70-21 loss to the No. 2 Lady Indians.
Osborne
In a battle for the top spot of the MCL, the No. 7 Lady Bulldogs lost to No. 2 Smith Center 73-45 on Tuesday. The girls bounced back to beat Phillipsburg 45-32, improving to 13-4 on the year. In Friday’s win, the Bulldogs won each of the four quarters, leading 25-17 by the half. Junior Caitlin Miller paced the team with 14 points and six rebounds. Jessica Princ added 13 points.
The Bulldog boys sit at 3-12 following a 58-55 loss to Smith Center and a 65-41 loss to No. 6 Phillipsburg. Osborne outscored Smith Center 19-13 in the second quarter to lead 27-25 at the half. Smith Center turned that into a 40-37 lead by the end of the third quarter and the teams played even in the final quarter. Sophomore Brandt Wolters scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the loss. Kenton Ubelaker added 13 points, and Maverick LeRock grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with four points.
Norton
The Blue Jay squads took it easy in week 10 with just one game on Tuesday. Both squads picked up wins against Decatur Community. The girls improved to 11-7 overall with a 51-26 win. The Lady Jays led that game 36-14 by halftime. The boys needed a big second half, outscoring Decatur 31-24 in the final two quarters to get a 44-41 win. Norton is now 7-11 on the year.
Senior Tawni Griffey scored 15 points for the Lady Jays, finishing 3-of-7 on three-point tries. The senior also had five rebounds and four steals. Junior Bailey Ambrosier just missed a double-double with 10 rebounds and nine points. Senior Andrew Ellis scored 14 points for the boys. Jacob Brooks added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds in the win.
Ellis
The No. 3 Lady Railers fell to No. 8 in the latest Class 2A rankings. Tuesday night, the girls picked up a big 62-57 win against No. 3 Oakley. In a tough sub-state that will feature No. 2 Smith Center and No. 3 Oakley, Ellis (16-2) has now defeat both teams with a split this year against Smith Center. Tuesday night, the powers played nearly even through three quarters with Oakley holding a slight 47-44 lead with eight minutes to play. Ellis won the final quarter 18-10 for the upset. Alexcia Duetscher finished with a game-high 23 points. Bailey Hensley added 15 points, and Kaleigh Soneson finished with nine points.
The Ellis boys (11-7) fell to the No. 9 Plainsmen 59-52. The Railroaders led 24-23 at the half but were outscored 16-9 in the third quarter and 20-19 in the fourth quarter. Tyler Walters was the lone double-figure scorer for Ellis with 11 points. Luke Lohrmeyer and Scott Pfeifer each scored eight points.
Trego
The Lady Golden Eagles doubled their win total on Friday with a 53-29 win against Otis-Bison. The 53 points also mark a season-high in scoring for the girls, who returned to MCL play on Friday with a 47-31 loss to Stockton. Trego is now 2-13 on the year. Otis-Bison entered Tuesday’s game with four wins on the year but fell behind 24-15 by halftime. Trego added on to that total by winning the second half 29-14. Junior Addie Zeman hit three triples and finished with 17 points, four steals, and four assists. Bailee Fritts recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, and Shaylee Flax also scored 10 points.
The boys were outscored 22-13 in the final quarter of a 68-67 loss to Otis-Bison. They dropped further to 5-12 on the year with a 79-68 loss to Stockton. In Tuesday’s game, the Golden Eagles outscored the Cougars 44-34 in the first and third quarters combined. Junior Clayton Riedl hit 12-of-19 shots, including three three-pointers, to finish with 31 points. Otis-Bison senior Dylan Wissman flirted with a triple-double, but Riedl easily accomplished the feat with 14 rebounds and 12 blocks on the night. John Griffith finished with 20 points and seven assists.
Stockton
The No. 10 Tiger boys picked up two more wins in week 10 to advance to 11-5 on the year. Tuesday, the squad downed Palco 59-49. They followed that with a 79-68 win against Trego on Friday. Tuesday, Stockton led Palco 25-18 at the half, then used a 21-14 third quarter to pull away further. Senior Zach Lowry scored 14 points in the win, closely followed by 13 points from Ethan Hamel, and 12 points apiece from Christian Hamel and Justin Wiltfong.
The Lady Tigers are 7-10 after a 46-42 loss at Palco, and a 47-31 win against Trego. Stockton outscored Palco 27-18 in the second half on Tuesday, but that was not enough to erase a 28-15 halftime deficit. Morgan Beougher scored 14 points in the loss. Sierra Brown added eight points, and Janassa Swaney seven points.
Hill City
The Ringneck boys are gaining some momentum heading into the end of the season. Last week, Hill City won its fourth and fifth straight games, downing Golden Plains 65-43 on Tuesday, then taking care of Smith Center 66-57 on Friday. The Ringnecks are now 10-7 on the season. In Tuesday’s win, Hill City already held a 14-10 lead after one quarter before running away with the middle quarters to build a 51-30 lead. Sophomore Ethan Gansel finished with 18 points. Tate Tremblay and Shane Jones each scored 15 points, and Derric McKeever added 14 points.
The Lady Ringnecks fell to 6-10 with a 42-33 loss to Golden Plains, and a 63-46 loss to No. 2 Smith Center. The teams played even most of the night on Tuesday. Golden Plains outscored Hill City 11-2 in the second quarter and that proved to be the difference. Junior Brooke Burton finished with eight points and five steals. Shelby Stewart added seven points, and McKenzie Cooper grabbed seven rebounds to go along with five points.
